Outdoors Weekly Fish Tales Archive

February 1, 2008

ANNANDALE - B.J.'s Bait & Tackle, Bill, west side of Clearwater Lake, between the two public accesses, www.bjsbait.com (320-274-3730) Things have picked up in the last week, that might be due in part because of the recent warm weather. We’ll see how things go continuing into the weekend. The sunnies and the crappies were biting out front in the deep hole. And the crappies are going in the 50 foot hole and also the deep hole out on Pleasant Lake. Spring Lake has also picked up. The ice thickness is pushing 2 feet now in most areas.

ANOKA - Action's Fishing, Jack, 809 West Hwy 10, www.actionsfishing.com (763-422-4890) Fishing slowed on Pelican and Crooked Lakes. Action picked up on some of the really small lakes around here. We have some Golden Shiners for this weekend’s fishing. Stop in for latest info.

BATTLE LAKE - Ben's Bait & Tackle, Josie, Junction of Hwy 78 and 210 (218-864-5596) Starting with walleyes, they have been biting on Ottertail, Battle, and Rush Lakes. On Ottertail and Battle, try in about 18 to 25 fow with minnows. For crappies try West Battle, South Turtle and Ellingson Lake in about 20 fow, 12 feet down with crappie minnows or wax worms. The crappie bite has been strictly night time or early morning. The sunnies have been biting mainly in the same spots as the crappies only during the day. Some big perch have been caught on Ottertail in about 10 fow off the flats with fatheads. A few northerns have been biting on Ottertail and South Turtle with big suckers. Try in about 17 fow.

BEMIDJI - Bluewater Bait & Sports, Mark Cook, 1 mile north of the Hwy 2 & 71 Intersection, www.bluewater-bait.com (218-444-2248) Lake Bemidji on the northern end has been good for walleyes and perch. Reports are coming from about 22 foot water. Lake Plantagenet has a good perch bite going in about 25 feet of water and walleyes in the evening. There has been a good northern bite going on Grace Lake.

BLACKDUCK - Timberline Sport & Tackle, Carl Adams, Junction of Hwy 71 and Blackduck Lake Rd. (218-835-4636) The reports have been spotty; the good news is you can get around pretty much everywhere on the ice now to look for them. On Blackduck, the perch are biting, but you have to move around to get the spot. The walleye bite on Upper Red Lake has picked up. And the bluegill bite on Rabideau and Pimusche has been okay.

BRAINERD/NISSWA AREA - S&W Bait and Tackle - Home of Nisswa Guide League, County Road 77 just west of Highway 371, www.sandwbait.com (218-829-7010) Call us for the latest reports!

CHISAGO CITY - Frankie's Live Bait and Marine, Brad, Corner of Hwy 8 and CR 77, www.frankies.net (651-257-6334) Chisago Lake has been going nuts from the A-frame all the way to the south end. Everyone is getting crappies and sunfish in 11 to 13 feet of water. North Center around the island and South Center by Pancake Island has also been good for the sunnies and crappies. Green has been good for northerns and bass in the bay. The ice is about 16 to 17 inches now most everywhere. And we have shiners still!

CROSBY - Oars-N-Mine Bait and Tackle, Jesse Williams, 22640 Hwy 6 N (218-546-6912) Serpent Lake walleye fishermen have enjoyed a solid season so far, and that hasn’t changed much. Walleyes are being caught on rainbow chubs during the evening hours, and most of the fish are running 16-20 inches, with an occasional big fish in that 24-29 inch range. Pike have been slow compared to their normal bite, but can be caught on shiners in 14-20 feet of water on the breaklines throughout the day on most area lakes. Crappie action has been pretty good, although no particularly hot bite has been established as of late. Most lakes are producing a few, with eurolarvae and small presentations working best. Watch your electronics! Sunfish are active in deep water as well, but you’re better off fishing shallow and working for the big ‘gills to bite. 5-9 feet of water is where the biggest fish are being caught, and sight fishing is a great way to “pick and choose” through the little ones. Not much for lake trout action yet, but that should pick up with more suitable weather. Stop in for the up-to-the-minute fishing report 7 days a week!

CROSSLAKE - Holiday of Cross Lake, 35610 Cty. Rd. 66 Crosslake, Lee (218-692-2708) Held’s Guide Service (218-820-0989) The cold weather has made crappie fishing a little more difficult. Try going to a sunfish size hook with a small crappie minnow hooked through the mouth with a constant jig seems to be the most productive. Anglers are finding crappies in the 30'-35' range. Walleye action has been hit and miss lately, however anglers are finding smaller walleyes on Whitefish using a smaller buckshot tipped with a half of a fathead in 22' of water. Northern action continues to be very good up in the shallow weed flats, using shiner minnows. Just think for us who are ready to get back into the boat, the Rainy River should be opening up in less than a couple of months. Where did the winter go?

DULUTH - Fisherman's Corner, Scott, 7 miles north of Miller Mall on Hwy 53, www.fishycorner.com (218-729-5369) The ice is good generally everywhere, with 18 to 24 inches out there now. Murphy and Nichols have been good for crappies; Fish Lake has also been good for both crappies and sunnies. Rice has been good for the northern action and Pike Lake has had a good perch bite going in about 5 to 8 foot water. Out on Superior, guys are still catching loopers and cohos in the river mouths and at Stony Point.

DULUTH - Marine General, 1501 London Road, on the edge of Lake Superior, www.marinegeneral.com (218-724-8833) Trolling on the big lake is done, the ramps are locked up. The walleye bite in the harbor has been good, the lower part has been better. Glow jigs have been producing, any color will work. Inland crappies have been biting on the area lakes. They have been running shallower it seems.

ELY-Babe's Bait and Tackle, 451 W. Sheridan St., Ely, MN, first business on the left as you are entering town of Ely from the west on Hwy 169 (218-365-6930) Now that the ice conditions have improved considerably due to the recent sub-zero temps, anglers are beginning to venture out on the lakes in droves. With this increased traffic comes a flood of fishing reports from throughout the area. Burntside Lake has been the hot spot for lake trout this past weekend, and many of the fishermen and women have been rewarded with some dandy fish for the grill. Snowbank Lake was not to be outdone in the laker department as it turned some very nice fish as well. Shagawa Lake where in the past several weeks had only been turning out smaller walleyes has finally kicked into gear. Many keeper sized fish are being taken now that the lake is safe for travel in almost all areas. Good crappie bite has also been the norm for lakes such as Low, One Pine, Little Long, and Bass. Try jigs tipped with mousies and eurolarvae for these tasty critters which are topping the 12" mark. Northern pike to 16 lbs. have been popping the flags on strategically placed tip ups near the shoreline weed beds on most lakes. Babe’s carries a complete line of baits and tackle for all of your ice fishing needs. Stop in for up to the minute lake reports to make your trip more successful.

FOREST LAKE - Mikes Bait on 8, Rich, 1/2 mile east of 35 on Hwy 8 (651-464-5150) Ice conditions are real good, 18 to 22 inches out there. The bite has been hit and miss though. Some have been doing well on walleyes, and crappies. As far as lakes go, the walleyes on have been biting on Clear, and some crappies. The Forest Lake bite has been mainly in the early sunup and right at sundown times. There has also been a descent crappie bite on Forest, and the holes on Second Lake. Shrimpos and ratsos in pink and white have been doing good. For crappies the reds and blue glow jigs have been the best this year.

GREY EAGLE - Nancy's Bait & Tackle, Rex, 4 miles east of the Rock Tavern on Big Birch Lake, 4 miles west of Upsala (320-285-2405) The walleyes have been biting on Big Birch, a lot of 10 to 14 inchers. Not big, but some action at least. There have been a few over 14 inches picked up here and there. A few big crappie reports coming off Big Birch too in about 35 fow. The sunnies are up in 8 to 12 foot water. St. Mary’s water is still very clear and the spearing guys are liking it. Big sunnies are biting on Mound Lake, and Moose Lake has been giving up a lot of crappies. Kings Lake by Freeport has also been good for crappies and a few walleyes. We still have silver and gold shiners.

HACKENSACK - Swanson's Bait & Tackle, Jim Tuller, Hwy 371 on the north end of Hackensack, www.swansonsbait.com (218-675-6176) A lot of fishermen have been heading out to Winnie and Lake of the Woods for walleyes, but some are sticking around and picking up some fish on Leech Lake in the early morning or late evening hours. Lindsey Lake has been good for panfish and also out on Ten Mile. You’ll find them off the weed edges using waxies. The guys spearing were still doing okay, seeing some fish down there still. We also still have shiners in the bait shop.

KABETOGAMA-NAMAKAN - Gateway Store, Phil Hart, US Hwy 53 & Co Rd 122, 30 miles south of Int'l Falls-Canadian border, kabfishingreport.com (218-875-2121) Well we had quite a week of temperature fluctuations. We experienced a 60 degree swing, -30 degrees last weekend and 31 above on Sunday. Most of the focus is now on walleyes, as pike have moved out of the shallows for the most part. The depth for success is still the 30’ range. Jig and minnow a winning combination or light suckers for tip-ups. The Ash River/Kabetogama section has been pretty good and across the lake they have been having some success near the mouth of Lost Lake Bay. More lake trails have been staked, but there are still no groomed trails on the ice. Land trails getting groomed twice a week and remain in very good shape.

LAKE OF THE WOODS - Area Tourism Bureau, Denelle Hovde , near Junction of Hwy 11 and Hwy 172 in Baudette, www.lakeofthewoodsmn.com (1-800-382-FISH) Fishing in deeper water continues to show the best bite, late afternoon and early evening in 28-34 feet of water has been giving up limits of walleye and sauger. Houses are being placed anywhere from 5-6 miles off the south shore to north around Garden Island. The sauger bite tends to be off the bottom, while most of the walleye bite is suspended. Anglers have been using small jigs with a chub minnow; gold, red glow and pink have been the jig of choice. The ice is at 22-24 inches and is in excellent condition. The late afternoon, early evening bite on the Rainy River has been producing limits of walleye. Anglers have moved to a little deeper water, about 22 feet, and have been using 3/8 ounce jigs. The Northwest Angle and Islands bite continues around the reefs south of Oak Island. A nice mix of walleye, sauger, and a few perch are being caught in 20-24 feet of water, right off the bottom. There is currently 18-20 inches of ice at the angle.

LEECH LAKE - Anderson's Resorts, Tim, www.andersonsleech-lake.com (1-800-516-0077)

METRO AREA EAST - Blue Ribbon Bait & Tackle, Oakdale, Josh, www.blueribbonbait.com (651-777-2421)

MILLE LACS LAKE – Chris Kuduk’s Guide Service (320-630-1761) The sunnies have been biting on Lake Shakopee all day. The walleye bite has picked up out on Sherman’s flats with lots of slot fish being picked up and some big ones too. Some walleyes have been moving into Wigwam Bay in the mornings and evenings too. Northstar Resort has roads plowed out to these spots. Most of the other resorts have roads plowed out now.

MILLE LACS LAKE - Malmo Market, Lynwood Elliott, State Hwy 47 and 18 East, NE corner of Mille Lacs (320-684-2295)

MILLE LACS LAKE – Johnson's Portside, Kelly or Steve, 1 mile north of Isle on Hwy 47 SE side of the lake, www.johnsonsportside.com (320-676-3811) It was a better weekend after all, warmer temps brought out anglers from everywhere, and a few perch seemed to show up also. There is plenty of ice out on the lake now. It seems the best reports are gravel and mud, out in deeper waters using a jigging spoon with a fat head. Walleyes were surly seen on camera, but they just were not hungry. Could it be the lil baby perch? Yeah, I think so. Although last night I was out for a bit in about 19' of water, and had 5 good hits in an hour. Pike, believe it or not have been pretty aggressive yet in the bays, so set up your tip-up with a sucker and who knows?

LAKE MINNETONKA - Wayzata Bait & Tackle, Tim or Bob, half mile west off I-494 on Hwy 12 (952-473-2227) The walleyes continue to bite on Browns and Wayzata bays in about 18 to 20 feet of water on the weed edges with a jig and a minnow. It’s mainly been an evening bite. The northerns have been active too, in 14 to 18 feet water off the weed flats with suckers. The panfish have been sporadic, they are down there, but you have to use your full arsenal and tease them to get them to bite. People are driving everywhere, except in the channels.

NISSWA - Dave's Sportland Bait & Tackle, Jason, 2 miles south of Nisswa at the Intersection of Hwy 371 and Cty Rd 77, next to Schaefer's Foods, www.sportlandbait.com (218-963-2401)

LAKE OSAKIS – Buck Point Resort on the N.W. corner of the lake, Brad, 115 miles west of Twin Cities on I-94W, take Hwy 3 North out of Osakis to Hwy 10 West, www.lakeosakisresorts.com (320-859-2530) Osakis and Smith Lake have been good for panfish.

PELICAN RAPIDS - Park Region Sport Shop, Lee Brenna, Intersection of Interstate 59 and 108 in downtown Pelican Rapids (218-863-5701) The walleyes bit good in the warm weather out on Lida, Lizzie and Pelican. On Lida, tons of 11 to 14 inchers were caught. The bite there was really going crazy. The sunnies and crappies have been kind of spotty, Prairie is probably your best bet. Lida has also been good. Lizzie has been good for panfish, but the access is poor due to ice heaves. Trout season has been good, Maplewood State Park has been a good spot.

RAINY LAKE - Rainy Lake Tourism, www.rainylake.org (1-800-FALLS-MN) We had quite a cold snap and ice conditions improved, but fishing slowed a bit. Warmer weather has returned, and with it, more walleye action. The best spots are Snad Bay, American Narrows, Rainy Lake City and Cranberry Island. Those are also the most easily accessible areas. Some of the best results have been by taking sleds to likely, but lesser used areas. Some big northern pike have been caught around Black Bay and Cranberry Bay. A portion of the Rainy Lake Ice Road is now open and there are several other unofficial roads plowed. Snowmobile trails are in great shape with more lake trails now staked and open. A weekend visitor from South Dakota emailed this comment: “The trails were great and we had fun. Will be sure to return sometime in the future.” You will find the latest information on the International Voyageur Snowmobile Club website www.ridetheborder.com Most area cross country ski trails are open, groomed and tracked and snowshoe trails within the Voyageurs National Park are open. Snowshoes and skis are available at the Rainy Lake Visitor Center Wednesdays-through-Sundays.

RED WING - Ike's Bait & Tackle, Ken, 2109 Old W Main St, Red Wing (651- 388-2111) The walleyes have been biting out by Baypoint Park, and guys that can get up by the dam are getting some nice saugers and walleyes on Ike’s hair jigs. The panfish bite has picked up between the docks at Baypoint Park and the occasional walleye can be caught there too. Frontenac pond has been good for northerns and bass.

SAINT CLOUD - Stop Light Bait, 45 8th Avenue SE, St. Cloud (320-255-9689) Northern pike fishermen were out in full force last week. Fish have been biting on suckers. Try Clearwater, Pearl and Middle Spunk Lakes. There has been a mid afternoon to after dark walleye bite on Little Rock Lake. Fathead minnows will catch the fish, move away from the crowds. A few walleyes have also been caught on Briggs and Grand Lakes. Crappies have been biting on the Mississippi River and Pearl Lake in the afternoon through the early evening. Crappies have also been biting on Mayhew Lake. Sunfish have also been biting on Pearl, Diamond and Mayhew Lakes. They have also been getting perch on Mayhew Lake. Lake Alexander and Minnewaska have both been good lakes to get out on this ice fishing season. We have nice sized fresh water shrimp in stock and all the freshest bait you will need.

SAINT PETER - Hermies Bait, Brad, 43539 French Hill Rd. St.Peter MN 56082 (507-931-6875) Sunnies are biting on Lake Washington, out in about 10-12 feet of water in Bakers Bay. Mazaska has been good for crappies right at evening. The walleyes are biting on French Lake in 20-30 fow in the evenings. On Lake Hanska, the walleyes have been biting out there too.

SOUTH CENTRAL MINNESOTA - Axel's Tackle Box, Axel, 2 blocks north of Hwy 60 on Hwy 13, next to Casey’s, on Lake Sakatah in Waterville, www.axelstacklebox.com (507-362-4444) Fishing has been slow for the most part but there is an occasional bite that is good. During the day seems to be the best on Tetonka with eyes, perch and bluegills being caught in deeper water. The past weekend the Darkhouse Association held their fishing derby and some nice fish were caught on the area lakes, both angling and spearing and also the barometric pressure is dropping so this should trigger some more fish.

UPPER RED LAKE - White Birch Resort, Monte Sharbono, vacation@whitebirchresort.net (218-835-4552) The walleye have been much more active lately. We’ve seen a lot of fishermen with their limit plus many fish caught and released. Getting away from the crowd is the key to catching fish. A glow jig in the evening hours tipped with a minnow seems to be doing the trick. The crappies are still on the move and hard to find with the occasional one showing up here and there. Again the pike are still roaming the walleye waters and you'll always have your chance for a big one.

WACONIA - Mase's In Towne Marine, Cindy, corner of Lake and Elm, www.intownemarina.com (952-442-2096) Last weekend we had a very good walleye bite out by Center Reef over the night time hours. Waconia Bay has been producing sunnies and crappies. Also north of Pillsbury Reef, there has been a good sunny bite. The crappies and walleyes have also been biting off North Center Reef in a little deeper water.

WINNIBIGOSHISH – Walleye Visions, Tom Neustrom, 21622 Airport Rd, Grand Rapids www.mnfishingpros.com (218-327-2312) The cold weather definitely firmed things up on Big Winnie and several of the area lakes. Ice thickness has increased and the there are several area accessible by plowed roads in many areas of the big lake. Highbanks Resort, McArdle's, Nodak's, and The Pines Resort on the N/E of Winnie have been maintaining roads, providing access to the lake. The fishing has been okay this last week, and the perch bite seems to be the most consistent. Small spoons like the Forage Minnow and 2-3 wax worms are having the best success. The rock humps located about one mile off the North Shore have been pretty good of late, with the edges in 20-25 feet being the best. There have been some bonus walleyes available at last light, but for the most part they have been scattered. The crappie fishing in Big Cutfoot has been slow, but with warmer weather coming the bite should improve. Small baits like Hornets and small Jiggle bugs with a waxie or 2-3 eurolarvae seem to be working better than minnows. Go as light as possible and keep a watchful eye on your electronics. Don't forget to attend up coming sport shows in your area and contact me at www.mnfishingpros.com to inquire about guide trips for the 2008 season.